Looking for a kid-friendly Fourth of July craft?
Here are four easy craft projects for all skill levels.
Bonus: you probably already have all the supplies you need on hand!
Beaded American Flag Pin
What you need:
- Beads (red, white/clear, and blue)
- Safety pins (medium to large)
Instructions:
- You may need more or fewer beads, depending on the sizes of your beads and safety pins. For the pin pictured, we counted out 25 small blue beads, 35 red beads, and 30 clear/white beads.
- Count out 11 safety pins.
- Using the image below for guidance, place beads on the table in the design of the flag. For the first 5 safety pins, I used 5 blue beads and then alternated 2 white and 2 red beads.
- For the last 5 safety pins, I alternated 5 red and 4 white beads.
- Add all pin ends through the last safety pin, according to the pattern, and twist them around to the back side of the safety pin.
THE PATTERN: B-Blue, W-White/clear, R-Red
| B | B | B | B | B | R | R | R | R | R |
| B | B | B | B | B | W | W | W | W | W |
| B | B | B | B | B | R | R | R | R | R |
| B | B | B | B | B | W | W | W | W | W |
| B | B | B | B | B | R | R | R | R | R |
| W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W |
| R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W |
| R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
This American flag pin design doesn't match the actual flag; instead, the bead count is set according to the size and the capacity of the safety pins.
Kids can wear their beaded flag American pins with pride, and even give them to friends or family as a special gift.
Cotton Swab Fireworks
What you need:
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Black cardstock
- Cotton swabs
- Red and blue paint
Instructions:
- Use the scissors to cut 12 cotton swabs in half
- Put a quarter-sized dot on each of the red and blue paints on a plate
- Make 4 large circles on the black paper with the glue stick
- Dip the end of each cotton swab in the color of your choice and stick it onto a circle
- Repeat this process until you have 4 circles with 6 swabs each
Fourth of July Windsock
What you need:
- Red or blue plastic cup
- Red/Blue/White streamers (6 cut into 3-foot strips)
- Red or blue pipe cleaners
- Star stickers
- Screwdriver
- Tape
Instructions:
- Use the screwdriver to punch two holes in the bottom of the solo cup
- Loop the pipe cleaner through the two holes and twist them together
- Tape the streamers into the inside of the cup
- Decorate the outside with stars
- Hang outdoors and watch it fly
Painted Rocks
What you need:
- Rocks
- Red, white, and blue paint
- Water sealant
Instructions:
- Paint rocks
- Let dry
- Apply sealant to keep color from fading
- Either let your kids find places in your yard to display the rocks, or hide them around town for others to find and enjoy!
I hope these easy July 4th crafts give you and your kids some red, white, and blue crafting inspiration this holiday!
Deanna Sapata is the publisher of Macaroni KID Glendale - Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
Heather McCloskey is the publisher of Macaroni Kid Fort Mill - Tega Cay - Rock Hill, S.C.
